By Katherine Jamtgaard. HICKORY, N.C. — The App State track and field team totaled 11 event wins and 51 top-five finishes at the Southside Power & Fitness Invitational hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne in Hickory this weekend.
The Mountaineers went 1-2-3 in the men’s 1500 meters and men’s pole vault. Freshman Tucker Sangster led the pack in the men’s 1500 meters, clocking a personal best of 3:58.00, and was followed by sophomore Rylan Haskett (3:59.04) and junior Calbert Guest (4:00.79, PR). In the men’s pole vault, sophomore Matthew Bigelow recorded a personal best clearance of 4.75m (15′ 7″). Juniors Braden Underwood and Taylor Fox took second and third, respectively, with clearances of 4.65m (15′ 3″).
The Mountaineers also took the top four spots in the women’s triple jump. Senior Djamila Peterson took first (11.62m (38′ 1.5″), sophomore Jazmine Posey and junior Siby Yao tied for second (11.53m, (37′ 10″)), and senior Breah Taylor took fourth (11.15m (36′ 7″)). In the women’s long jump, senior Taylor Smith secured second (6.09m (19′ 11.75″)), Yao landed third (6.03m (19′ 9.5″)), and senior Jada Branch took fourth (6.02m (19′ 9″), PR).
Freshman Ava Studney recorded a personal best clearance of 3.75m (12′ 3.75″) to place first in the women’s pole vault. Studney’s mark moves her to sixth in the App State all-time list. Following Studney was senior Celia Agee, who placed second with a clearance of 3.65m (11′ 11.75″).
Junior Chris Wainscott and sophomore Daiyanna Cooper collected wins in the men’s and women’s hammer throw with marks of 52.49m (172′ 3″) and 55.93m (183′ 6″), respectively. Cooper’s mark of 55.93m (183′ 6″) is a new personal best and keeps her at second in the App State all-time list.
In the women’s 1500 meters, junior Bianca Copeman garnered gold with a personal best of 4:51.19. Freshman Addison Ollendick-Smith recorded a personal best of 2:16.86 to finish second in the women’s 800 meters and junior Cole Krehnbrink finished second with a time of 48.08 in the men’s 400 meters. Senior Mariah Atwater stopped the clock at 24.18 to finish second in the women’s 200 meters, and was followed close behind by graduate student Hunter Robinson, who placed third with a time of 24.37. Atwater also took third in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 56.74.
The women’s 4×100-meter relay quartet of senior Jelonnie Smith, Robinson, Taylor Smith and Atwater clinched first with a time of 45.60 while the men’s 4×100-meter squad of freshman Christian Gore, Krehnbrink, and freshmen Luke Hale and Jayvion Johnson clocked a time of 41.52 to place second.
Friday Rewind
On Friday, Wainscott, Cooper, and freshman Nadiyah Byard garnered gold in their respective events. Wainscott posted a personal best of 17.89m (58′ 8.25) to place first in the men’s shot put, which keeps him at third in the App State all-time list. Wainscott also secured silver in the men’s discus with a toss of 48.51m (159′ 2″). Cooper earned a first-place finish in the women’s shot put with a toss of 12.64m (41′ 5.75″) and finished fourth in the women’s discus with a mark of 34.84m (114′ 4″). Junior Megan Plummer took second in the women’s discus (38.28m (125′ 7″), PR). In her debut in the women’s high jump, Byard clinched gold with a leap of 1.65m (5′ 5″).
Up Next
The Mountaineers will travel to Atlanta, Ga. for the Georgia Tech Invitational on April 21-22.
